by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

Speed kills. The Denver Broncos' record-setting offense will be well-served to put its foot on the gas early with a no-huddle approach while trying to leave the Seattle Seahawks' monstrous defense breathless. An early lead will go a long way toward luring Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to try and match Peyton Manning through the air. Denver's five keys to victory in Super Bowl XLVIII:

1. Tempo: Manning is masterful at dictating a game's flow and has orchestrated methodical, clocking-sapping drives in both playoff wins - Denver's five posteason TD drives have averaged 12 plays, and the Broncos have gone three-and-out only once while enjoying an 11-minute time-of-possession advantage in each contest. Yet Manning may be better served to push the pace against the Seahawks, who like to leverage their depth by rotating fresh bodies onto the field (Seattle's front seven features 11 players who get regular snaps). Expect Manning to try and limit Seahawk substitutions while exploiting mismatches of his choosing - likely pass plays if run-stuffing linemen Red Bryant and Brandon Mebane are on the field or maybe draws and screens when pass-rushing specialists Cliff Avril and Chris Clemons are screaming off the edge.

2. Wide load: The Broncos are stacked at receiver with Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker. Seahawks all-pro CB Richard Sherman typically mans the left side, but it wouldn't be a shock to see him shadow the ever-dangerous Thomas. If Manning shies away from that matchup - and if Julius Thomas struggles to establish himself as most tight ends have failed to do against Seattle - Decker and Welker could quickly find themselves as the focal points of Denver's attack. Decker will likely draw CB Byron Maxwell, who has done a nice job taking over for suspended Brandon Browner but still only has seven NFL starts (including playoffs) on his resume, and Welker will work against Walter Thurmond in the slot. Decker and Welker should win their matchups. And look for a large dose of Denver RBs Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball, especially if the weather deteriorates. Seattle finished a respectable seventh overall in run defense but suffered enough lapses (more than 130 yards allowed in eight of 18 games) that this area is clearly the least formidable aspect of the unit, especially when Bryant, Mebane and DT Tony McDaniel give way to the pressure packages.

3. Limit Lynch: Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch has rumbled for 259 yards and three TDs in two playoff games this year, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He has four career postseason TD runs covering at least 25 yards; no one else in NFL history has more than two. But led by DT Terrance Knighton and DE Malik Jackson, Denver held both the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots to 65 rushing yards or fewer and just 3.8 yards per attempt. If Manning manages to quickly get points on the board, that's an equally effective away to cage Seattle's Mr. Beast Mode. As clutch and efficient as Wilson typically is, he doesn't have the horses to win a shootout against the Broncos. Wilson has only surpassed 300 passing yards twice this season, while his passer rating has ebbed to 82.1 over his past six games.

4. Cover up: Though Wilson and the Seahawks are unlikely to air it out, they'll surely probe a Denver secondary that lost starting CB Chris Harris and FS Rahim Moore (not to mention pass rusher Von Miller) in the past two months. The Broncos will try some combination of CBs Champ Bailey, Kayvon Webster and Tony Carter to replace Harris, though all have mostly struggled this season and collectively played fewer snaps than the steady Harris. One of them will likely draw the assignment of guarding WR Percy Harvin, who usually lines up in the slot, a place where Denver's top corner, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, struggles. If the Broncos are going to allocate the necessary resources to stopping Lynch, the fading Bailey and his understudies must hold their own in one-one-one coverage.

5. Protect Manning: The Denver offensive line has been nearly airtight during the playoffs, allowing Manning to be touched just once. But the Broncos haven't seen a defense close to the caliber of Seattle's all season. Manning is no threat to run, which gives the Seahawks interesting options since they won't have to account for him as they did Colin Kaepernick in the NFC Championship Game. One approach might be to flood the passing lanes and try to force Manning into his third and fourth reads, making him hold the ball longer than he wants. That would theoretically give the Seattle pass rush more time to penetrate the pocket. Another strategy could be targeting Broncos LT Chris Clark, who's done a nice job since replacing injured all-pro Ryan Clady in Week 2 but has also given up nearly half of the sacks suffered by Manning. The Broncos obviously want to make Seattle adjust to the array of weapons Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase can deploy. But Denver also better have plan in its back pocket if Clark requires consistent help in pass protection, thus limiting Manning's downfield options.